Product Description

▼▲

Rebecca Soloman leads a team deep into the Ethiopian desert to hunt the one man who may know the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. But Islamic fundamentalists fear that the Ark's discovery will compel Israel to rebuild Soloman's temple on the very site of their own holy mosque in Jerusalem.

They immediately dispatch Ismael, their most accomplished assassin, to pursue the same man, but the one in their sights is no ordinary man. His name is Caleb, and he is also on a quest--to find again the love he once embraced as a child.

Publisher's Description

▼▲

One man holds the key to locating the Ark of the Covenantbut hes hidden deep in the desert and no one has seen him since he was a boy.

In this explosive sequel to Blessed Child, Jewish soldier-turned-archaeologist Rebecca Soloman leads a team deep into the Ethiopian desert to find the one man who may know the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Such a discovery would bring hope back to her people. Her search brings excitement and dangerincluding unexpected love and a discovery far more powerful than even the holy artifact.

Meanwhile, Islamic fundamentalists dispatch Ismael, their most accomplished assassin, to pursue Rebecca and the man shes searching for. These men fear that the Arks discovery will compel Israel to rebuild Solomons templeon the very site of their holy mosque in Jerusalem. But the man they seek is no ordinary man.

His name is Caleb, and he too is on a missionto find again the love he embraced as a child and to share that love with the world.

Author Bio

▼▲

Prior to his death in 2003, Dr. Bill Bright put into book form what he regarded as the 10 most vital principles every Christian should know and live by. The result is The Joy of Knowing God, a "simply powerful" 10-book series of Bright's most dynamic messages on successful Christian living.

Ted Dekker has great skills in telling a story. This review is on the sequel to Blessed Child entitled, "A Man Called Blessed." Ted Dekker and Bill Bright co-authored this interesting title. The story is a hunt for the location of the Ark of the Covenant. Which, in my personal opinion is a storyline that has been overused. Though I feel that way about the topic, these authors do make the story interesting and worth the reading. As is Dekker's practice, this book is packed with moments of mystery.

The Islamic people do NOT want the finding of the Ark of the Covenant to take place, so they get their best man to "take care" of the matter. However, the "child" (now man) that they want to take down, by the name of Caleb, is apparently out of their assassin's league. From Blessed Child, Caleb now in Ethiopia, could know the location of the temple, but even that is an unanswered question _ maybe!! I can't tell it all, you must read the book.

A woman by the name of Rebecca Solomon is leading the search. The fear of this discovery is that it will ultimately lead to the rebuilding of Solomon's Temple. This fear and the fight against it add to the bewildering actions that take place. What I suspect most readers will like about this book, as other Dekker titles, is the stimulating mysteries that keep the reader guessing. What every reader should find in this book, weaved throughout, is that God is still on His throne and is still in control and in the peoples' lives.

Ted Dekker is not knew to most Christian book-readers, and Bill Bright is certainly not new on the horizon for those that have any familiarity with Campus Crusade. Together these two have put an interesting title out that is worth your time.

Disclaimer: I received an electronic version of this book for free through the bookbloggers.com program in exchange for a blog posted review.

I find it interesting that some folks such as Iola gave this book such a bad review and that without ever reading book one (Caleb) to get an understanding of the man and history on what Ted Dekker is trying to express about this young man. Writing a review about a second book which really is a continuation of the first book in some ways to me is questionable. I am not however saying the book is perfect because historically speaking I am sure it is not there all the way but folks here's the thing! It wasn't written to be factual and historically accurate. It was written as a FICTION STORY... A novel that one could sit back and relax to and quite possibly draw you closer to your creator in the mean time. I know with many of Mr. Dekker's books I find this happening. Even when I know that this boy really did not exist or that this power is for another dispensation and people I still reflect on Christ Jesus our creator and God in the flesh and I realize what people went through when Jesus, then Peter and Paul as our apostle according to Romans 11 and how they affected peoples lives with just such power from Christ Himself. Book one sets such a background and if you haven't read it then why on earth would you go to the middle of a story and comment on it when you don't know the beginning? Would you wait to see a movie in the lobby until it was half way finished and then go in and try to figure it out?

Would you take a novel and tear it in half, then only read the latter half and ending without understanding how the book got to that place? Folks this is a good book to read and own to share with others. My wife and I read books to each other on a daily basis and these are fun novels to relax to and share with others. You might find yourself reading to a loved one, maybe you lil ones and then later to their lil ones as well. These books are just that fun to discover and later rediscover as well. Some I have re-read many times over the years because they remind me of the power of Christ and the things that He Himself did do when here and continues to do from His throne. Take them for what they are, fun and interesting stories and don't worry about someone that doesn't like them because they didn't always use proper English sentence structures or stayed historically accurate.... Those books have their place but geez guys and gals... this is a NOVEL... meaning a FICTION account.... have a blast with Caleb and the other characterless in this story and if you haven't read Caleb first.... take the time to do so it will change your outlook on this story entirely...

Lord Bless you all and remember Acts 13:38,39 the greatest news since the cross and that shed blood!!!

Rebecca Solomon is a former Israeli soldier turned archaeologist. She is currently leading her team deep into the heart of the Ethiopian desert, desperately trying to find the remains of the Ark of the Covenant. Such a discovery would bring hope in the hearts of her people, and give them something to hold onto in the midst of their trials and suffering. It's discovery would show the Jewish people that He truly looks out for His Own, and truly cared about their well being and future. But Rebecca finds that her expedition brings not only danger, but a discovery that will change everything.

She doesn't realize quite how dangerous, until confronted with Ismael; sent by the Islamic fundamentalist on a mission to stop her at any cost. The greatest fear of the people that sent Ishmael is that the discovery of the Ark will compel the Jewish people to rebuilt Solomon's temple - right where their holy mosque in Jerusalem resides. Political and religious animosity that is centuries old comes to the forefront, and it is a race against time for both Rebecca and Ismael to accomplish what they set out to do. Who is to say either of them is right or wrong? Both take what they believe very seriously, and neither of them is returning home without their prize. Will they man Rebecca seeks shed some light into the future? Or will Ishmael succeed and take the assurance of a future from the Jewish people?

This was a heart stopping novel that was absolutely explosive from the very beginning. I honestly do not care for stories about the constant troubles of the Middle East, in particular, the fight over Jerusalem. But this novel put my perspective on a whole new plane, and I've got to admit I was spellbound all the way through. What kept me glued to my seat through the book was the constant struggles from all three of the main characters. With one beautiful Jewish girl, one militant Muslim, and one desperate Christian - it was completely up in the air what would happen and how it was going to end. I was very impressed by this novel.

This book was provided by the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review.

David Ben Solomon has dedicated his life to searching for the Ark of the Covenant in order to restore it to Jerusalem and welcome the Messiah. He has been joined in his quest by his daughter, Rebecca, an archaeologist and assassin. They Raphael Hadane, a Falasha Jew from Ethiopia, who tells them the information they seek is hidden in the Debra Damarro monastery in Ethiopia.

Caleb is twenty-five and has lived almost his whole life in the Debra Damarro monastery, first in the care of Father Matthew, now with his adoptive parents. He, apparently, holds the key to the location of the Ark. But not everyone wants the Ark found, and one man in particular is determined to stop Rebecca and Caleb _

A Man Called Blessed is the second in the Caleb Books series by Ted Dekker and Bill Bright. Dekker is famous for his suspense, and that came through in the novel. Bill Bright is famous for his non-fiction books on spiritual maturity, and that came through as well.

What didn't come through so well, for me, were likeable characters I could believe in and relate to. We didn't see much of Caleb in the beginning, and it seemed as though he had a personality transplant when he arrived in the desert. It didn't quite ring true. Equally, Rebecca seemed to morph from a military assassin into a stereotypical brash American tourist when she left the monastery. Neither transformation rang true to the characters as they had been established in this book (although the character of Caleb might have been consistent with the previous book, which I haven't read).

And I had issues with the plot. Some aspects were incomprehensible (how to you build a crate around an object without ever touching said object?). Others felt contrived. Fiction uses a story to demonstrate truth. But one of the issues with fiction, especially Christian fiction, is that we don't accept miracles in our novels, even though we know we serve a God of miracles. If you must have a miracle as a key plot point, that miracle must be foreshadowedÃ¢â¬âit must be signalled from the very beginning. It can't just come out of nowhere. Otherwise it breaks one of the biggest Ã¢â¬Ërules' of fiction: the injunction against using deus ex machina to solve plot problems.

I also had issues with the writing, particularly the overuse of adverbs and exclamation marks, and the developing relationship between Rebecca and Caleb. I continually felt I was being told how they felt about each otherÃ¢â¬âI never saw it.

On a more practical level, it was interesting to gain insight into the minds of the modern Jew and Muslim, especially Palestinian Muslims. There are serious problems in the Middle East, and A Man Called Blessed illustrated them well.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and BooksneezeÃÂ® for providing a free ebook for review.

Rebecca Soloman and Ismael have a common goal, to find the Ark of the Covenant. What they intend to do once they reach that goal differs though. One hopes to find the Ark so Israel can rebuild the temple. The other hopes to preserve the mosque in Jerusalem. Both need the man named Caleb. But does he have what they need?

I read "Blessed Child" and I knew I had to finish the Caleb series. "A Man Called Blessed" is full of action but also full of a message. It took me longer to read this second book in the series and I'm not sure entirely why. It's full of camel chases and gun-slinging and all that but it wasn't quite as catching for me. Maybe it's because Caleb is grown now and not a child, I don't know. However, the book is VERY good!

The biggest message I got was that we adults need to return to our child-like faith in God. I mean, it's in the Bible so it's a given right? Except I think we forget that as we grow up. God is still the same awe-inspiring God that He was before, but we try to read too much into things with our adult minds.

I know I came away from the Caleb series with a different perspective. I hope that if you choose to read the series, you will too. I've been "ruined", but it's all for the better.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. No other compensation was received.